Anonymous sources are essential to good journalism

The hunger to be first with the news is the excitement and competitive spirit that drives journalism. The reports of defections on Valentine’s Day turned out to be accurate; it was just that Umunna and colleagues changed their minds. The reports were not wrong; they were just right too early

Every now and again there is a small moral panic about the use of anonymous sources in journalism. I mention it now because we have just had a good example of why it is misplaced.

There had been rumours that a group of Labour MPs were about to defect for a while. As Valentine’s Day approached, they became more specific. Chuka Umunna and Chris Leslie were mentioned, along with Luciana Berger, Mike Gapes and Angela Smith.

But 14 February came and went. Two rooms in the Palace of Westminster booked in the names of Umunna and Leslie went unused. Most media attention was devoted to another symbolic defeat of the government in a Brexit vote in the Commons.